How To Approach Your Sphere of Influence Without Sounding Salesy

“What is the best way to approach my sphere of influence without sounding salesy?”

It is a great question, and one that took me years to answer for myself. When you have a genuine and sincere appreciation for others and a desire to help them, you can call, email, or visit people virtually as often as you would like without ever being accused of being “salesy.”

Create and distribute things that matter to your target audience on a regular basis. These can and should be a mixture of real estate specific and non-real estate related items of interest.

As a specialist in serving seniors, not only can you call your sphere of influence (what Seth Godin refers to as a tribe), to talk about real estate, but you can also call to share with them the many helpful resources you have learned about intended to help those dealing with eldercare issues. This is what we talk about in our courses as the gears of success: contribution, differentiation, and consistency.

My favorite approach to contacting my tribe is simply this:

“Hi. I was just thinking about you today and wondered if there was anything I could do for you today to make your life easier. As you know, as a real estate agent, I am connected with lots of different community resources and information and it would be my pleasure to help you in any way – real estate or otherwise.”

“As you may recall, my specialty and my passion is in helping elders with either aging in place or making it easier for them when moving into something more manageable, so don’t hesitate to call if you know of a family or neighbor I can help with this. Make it a great day!”

Chances are you are leaving a message and people truly appreciate the fact you even thought about them and took the time to reach out and offer your support.

Don’t be surprised if you make someones day!

Nikki Buckelew is the Founder and CEO of the Seniors Real Estate Institute and administrator for the Certified Senior Housing Professional® (CSHP) designation. A veteran REALTOR® of over two decades, she holds a bachelor’s degree in gerontology and a master’s and PhD in psychology. As a professional speaker, coach, and trainer, Nikki is committed to empowering, equipping, and educating real estate sales and senior housing professionals seeking to better serve the mature market segment.